UK issues rescue boat safety warning

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) recently issued a Safety Bulletin concerning the failure of a rescue boat davit that caused the death of one seaman and injury of two others.

At approximately 3:50 p.m. on February 7, 2011, during a routine rescue boat drill aboard the Wilhelmsen Lines UK-flagged car carrier Tonbarra, the davit fall wire parted. The boat and its four crew instantly dropped almost 29 meters (over 90 feet) into the water alongside the Royal Portbury Docks in Bristol, UK.

One person was killed and two others were taken to the hospital. How the fourth person managed to escape serious injury is not addressed in the Bulletin.

According to the MAIB report, the Watercraft WHFRB 6.50 boat's certified weight was 980 kg (2156 lbs).

When weighed after the accident, it was 1450 kg (3190 lbs), or 470 kg (940 lbs), overweight

The same model rescue boats were subsequently inspected and weighed on sister ships. They, too, were significantly overweight.

A hidden truth was discovered: the integrity of the watertight compartments had been compromised

Read MAIB Safety Bulletin 1/2011 in our article library here.

Source: MAIB